Everyday lapses can be managed. Statins are often abandoned because of side effects (real or perceived).

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Q: What are some ways to help remember names and decrease other memory slip-ups?

A: While recurring or worsening memory issues should always be checked out, everyday lapses can be managed. Here are some tips on how to overcome some common memory situations:

Names. When you meet someone for the first time, make the connection meaningful. Many times, we forget a name because we didn’t notice it being said or don’t make an effort to try to remember it.

Repeat the name and immediately link it to something that may help trigger recall, such as the person’s appearance or job. Or associate the name with someone who has a similar name, like a celebrity, relative or movie character.

You can also connect the name with a rhyming word, a song or an image. For example, link the name Sandy with the idea of a beach, and imagine Sandy on the beach. Use as much detail as possible — picture her walking along the water’s edge or on a beach that’s familiar to you.

Finally, write down the name and the person’s relation to you (for example, your neighbor’s sister) in your smartphone or in a memory notebook specially dedicated to things you want to remember.

Routine tasks. We often forget routine behaviors like locking a door before bed because we are not fully engaged when we do them.

An excellent way to remind yourself of a completed task is to talk to yourself while doing it. Say it out loud, such as, “I’m locking the front door” or “I’m putting the clothes in the dryer.”

Everyday items. Always put things you regularly use in the same place. For example, set up dedicated areas near the front door, in the living room by your favorite seat, and in the bedroom, and use these spaces for all your vital objects like phone, keys, glasses and medicine.

For objects you don’t handle regularly, make a point to focus on the location where you place them and, again, tell yourself out loud what you are doing. For instance, say “I’m placing the scissors in the kitchen drawer below the coffeepot.”

To-do lists. Smartphones also are great for scheduling reminders for tasks and appointments, and their alarms can be set up for one-time or recurring events.

You can also email yourself reminders, or leave yourself a note. Another approach is to create a visual reminder: Put an object associated with the task in a prominent place. For instance, if you need to order concert tickets, leave a picture of the artist near your phone or on your memory table.

Q: I’m told I need to be on a higher dose of atorvastatin (Lipitor) to lower my cholesterol. But I don’t even like taking the 10-milligram dose because I feel more aches and pains. What options do I have?

A: Statin drugs such as atorvastatin are important medications that reduce high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and significantly lower the risk for heart attack, stroke and premature death. Despite the drugs’ effectiveness, many people discontinue it without telling their doctor.

Statins are often abandoned because of side effects (real or perceived). Body aches are the most common complaint. But clinical studies suggest that, most often, the side effects are not related to the drug.

People frequently have negative expectations even before they take their first statin dose. An example is the claim of cognitive decline as a side effect, which has been disproven several times over.

Work with your doctor to see if one of the following approaches can help you stick with your statin.

Consider a low-dose, alternate-day strategy to ease into statin use. This recalibrates expectations and may give you more of an open mind that you can tolerate the statin.

Switch to a different statin. For example, rosuvastatin (Crestor) may cause fewer muscle aches.

Try a non-statin cholesterol drug. These drugs don’t cause muscle aches the way statins sometimes do. Bempedoic acid (Nexletol) boosts LDL cholesterol clearance by the liver with less effect on muscles. Ezetimibe (Zetia) works in the intestines to inhibit cholesterol absorption.

Think about other causes of muscle aches. Is it really the medication causing discomfort, or did you perhaps begin to exercise more when you started the statin and you have sore muscles as a result?

Consider drug interactions. Some medications can cause adverse reactions when taken with statins, such as certain calcium-channel blockers, including diltiazem (Cardizem), and certain antifungal medications, such as ketoconazole (Nizoral).

Ask your doctor if it is safe to stop the statin for two to three weeks. You can see if the muscle aches stop. Also, some people find they can restart the statin after a short drug holiday.

Try coenzyme Q10. This supplement has mixed results for relieving muscle aches from statins.

Check your vitamin D levels. There’s an association between low vitamin D levels and higher muscle aches when you take a statin.

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